Oni's Son
by GarnettFox
Summary: We are given one side of the story, spun in black and white by those who have never been there. This is the story of the Dragon, Oni and their Son
1. Chapter 1

"What are you?"

I cocked my head staring at the other bring "What are you?" I questioned back. The being hummed sinewy coils gliding over each other.

"I am...Dragon. And you?"

"...I am...Oni...Did you create me?" Dragon shook it's head staring into my eyes.

"Did you create me?" I also shook myself in the negative. We awkwardly regarded each other wondering what our purpose what, what the purpose of the other was.

With a sigh Dragon uncoiled it's self revealing four short and thick limbs tipped with claws and landed on the desolate sandy ground on all four of them. Quite different from my own long and thin limbs that allowed me to balance on two. Dragon gasped and stumbled back as a green thread like thing sprang up around it's claws along with green strands with other colours at their heads. Somehow despite never seeing the things before I knew they where 'Grass' and 'Flowers'.

Cautiously Dragon took to the air again staring in awe at what it had inadvertently made "Did I..." It reached down with a forelimb touching at one of the flowers, the flower grew leaves trying to latch onto Dragon's claw. Curious I knelt and touched a flower with the back of a claw, the little thing shrivelled as if all the life was drained away from it before crumbing to ash. "What did you do?" There was no condemnation in Dragons voice, only curiosity.

"I think I destroyed it..." I blinked "That must be our purposes, you create and I destroy."

"I suppose that makes sense." Dragon mused landing again, on a whim and just to see if they could they swiped their tail over the sand, it bloomed into life before their eyes. I walked through the patch of life watching as it died in my footsteps. Dragon blinked sniffing at one of said footsteps and put a paw over it, when it pulled away a tree sapling was already growing. "Where you destroy you leave the earth better for life, I can make more complex things out of what you destroy."

I touched the sapling destroying it and more of the ash was made "And from the more complex things I made more rich earth allowing you to make even more complex things." We shared a look and smiled.

"Shall we see what we can make this realm into Oni?"

"I would like to Dragon."

It was not to last.

* * *

Time had little meaning in the first realm, and any meaning it could have had was lost on the two endless beings who inhabited it. They spent what could have been millions upon millions of years just exploring their home, from the highest mountain to the deepest pit of the ocean they had seen it all, Dragon spreading life and Oni death.

They marvelled every time a new kind of plant came forth from their mutual curiosity. Though as the millennia wore on Oni noticed that Dragon's enthusiasm seemed to die, a slow and quite death. With every new flower, tree and grass Dragon seemed a little less fascinated, a little less interested then they where with the last.

Oni tried it's best to cheer their friend up "Look at this one Dragon, it uses Formic Acid to defend it's self!" Oni nudged Dragon lightly, the serpentine being growled lightly.

"As do a thousand others Oni, I fail to see what makes this thing so special." Oni was taken aback by Dragons words.

"Special? All of these things are special." They motioned at the small grove they where in, Oni precariously balanced on a rock and careful not to brush against a tree so as not to destroy anything "We made them together."

Dragon rolled it's eyes muttering something Oni didn't quite catch "Can we move on?" Oni sighed stepping off the rock feeling a pang as the plants started to shrivel and die.

"Alright...How about to the ocean, you love the ocean." Dragon sighed but nodded taking off Oni walking at their side.

* * *

Creation did not end when Dragon made it, all things carried within them a bright spark of it's power inside them, enough that they where able to create more of themselves without Dragon and Oni having to be present. But they hadn't thought they had enough of a spark to do this.

it was a tiny thing, crawling along the ocean floor, blind, deaf, helpless really. But it was new it was different. The pair followed it eagerly fascinated by the creature. It could not last forever.

"Kill it Oni." Dragon yawned, Oni startled stared at his friend.

"Kill it? Why? You can make more from something else without killing it." Dragon snorted.

"I don't want more I want something more interesting then this."

"But look at it." Oni smiled waving a claw at the sightless creature "It created it's self and look at it, so strong."

In a blink of an eye Dragon's tail lashed out catching Oni's wrist and bringing his hand down on the creature, Oni yelped and pulled away, too late the little thing was already dead. "There we go." Dragon purred scooping up the earth already forming something new. Oni stared at their friend who smiled at the slightly larger creature now with eyes that crawled off it's claw.

"I...Dragon why did you do that?" Dragon snorted dropping the creature.

"It's your purpose isn't it? To kill things for me so I can have fun." Oni backed away from them.

"Dragon...I'm your friend, not just something you can order around." Dragon rolled their eyes and nudged Oni.

"Your being over sensitive Oni."

"I don't like my power." Oni stated bluntly "I'm jealous of you Dragon, you get to create such fantastic plants and now animals and I can only destroy them."

"My power is fantastic." Dragon preened nudging them again "Oh do calm down Oni, just use your power like your meant to."

Oni growled lightly fists shaking "...I think I want to spend some time alone Dragon."

Dragon sighed dramatically. "Fiiiiine. Go sulk when your ready to play your part you can come back." He patted Oni on the head with their tail, Oni cringed the normally friendly actions of his friend feeling condescending. He turned and left Dragon shaking his head and turning his attention back on the little creature "Now...How can I make you better..."

* * *

Oni hid them self away, inside a deep mountain cave once they and Dragon had curled up together inside during their early days of exploration. Outside life without end bloomed without death to temper it. Aggravated by their friend's silence every few years he could come by the cave and badger Oni till they agreed to take a walk through the realm and bring destruction to it so that Dragon could continue to play with it.

They hated it, they hated how Dragon could look at this beautiful realm and the wonderful plants and creatures they created and just wish their destruction.

"Are you ever going to get over this sulk of yours?!" Dragon snapped as Oni made his way back to the cave "Your ruining this for me!" Oni glared growling at Dragon.

"If it aggravates you that much Dragon, why don't you figure out how to make creatures die on your own!" they snapped storming back to their cave, Dragon gave a thoughtful look to Oni as they left.

"Make them die...Or perhaps...Make them kill each other..."

* * *

When a hundred years passed without Dragon forcing them to come out of the cave Oni knew something was wrong. Cautious they left the save worried about what their friend could have possibly done, and despaired.

Where once all things created by Dragon where immortal and able to procreate on it's own Dragon had forcefully taken it away giving them at most a lifespan of a few decades and installed the need for at least two plants or creatures of the same kind to create more. Without their immortality, plants and creatures alike began to starve and die. Out of those dead the Dragon created new life, life that fed on each other, life that killed each other.

Life that didn't need Oni to bring them death.

"Do you like it old friend?" Dragon purred a grin on it's muzzle "You gave me the idea after all, now it is good, now I don't need you, I can play with my creations all I like. And they love me for it."

Oni shook his head stepping back from the being they once called friend "I don't even know you anymore..."

Dragon regarded them "No, I don't think we ever really knew each other. But now I don't need you, so it doesn't matter. Hide away in your cave, or live free among my creations. Your choice it doesn't matter to me anymore I get my fun either way."

"How can you find this fun?"

"How can you not?"

It was the end of a era.


	2. Chapter 2

Oni fled from the being he once called friend their emotions a tangled mess of anger, disgust and profound sadness. Dragon watched them go outwardly impassive but under the surface, enraged at Oni's rejection of the world they had created in the other's absence...and a small pang of loneliness at the only other immortal being in this realm fleeing from them.

"...Bah, they will come to their senses." Dragon snarled turning away from the direction Oni had gone, it was Oni's fault that he couldn't see the greatness in their plans...Perhaps they should create something that could appreciate their greatness...

0o0o0o

Oni wandered and despaired, all around them the beautiful glorious life around was dying and killing. Plants that lured in insects with sweet nectar only to drown them in acid, insects that spent their entire life cycle inside another animal only to kill it so as to reproduce, animals that created devastating toxins to either kill their prey or make those that preyed upon them regret it.

They wanted to go back to the cave and collapse the mountain atop it's self, it wouldn't kill them but vanishing from the realm and never returning greatly appealed to them. So distracted in their thoughts of hiding away to never return the Oni found it's self back at the spot where they and Dragon had been created, it had become a spot curious to the two of them though they never thought much of it.

in the exact spots where Oni had first woken, and where Dragon had first set foot on the ground where two circles, the one under Oni a patch of grass and flowers that no matter how hard he tried he could never manage to destroy, and under Dragon a patch of ashen earth where nothing would grow. Around the two spots was a wide circle split in two by an S with one spot on each side. Around Oni's dot was his ash, Dragon could get some plants to grow on that part of the circle but they would quickly wither and die even if Oni stayed far away, and around Dragons Dot lush flowers that couldn't stay dead.

This place always filled Oni with a sense of peace and tranquillity, he sat down on his dot relishing in being able to touch these plants without killing them and simply thought.

There really wasn't anything they could do, they had no power to make things immortal like Dragon had only kill them and killing them would only give Dragon what they wanted as they would be able to create even more. An angry sullen part of their mind wanted to never move from this spot, just enjoy this small patch of tranquillity and let Dragon do as they pleased.

But curiosity nagged at them.

While saddened and disgusted by the need to kill, they still found something about the Life around him beautiful and compelling, he wanted to see what had become of the simple lifeforms and how they had changed from what he once knew.

0o0o0o

At first he'd simply thought Dragon had found him again when he saw the thing. It looked almost like his old friend, it wasn't till it came closer he noticed the differences, this creature looked like a lesser version of his fellow immortal, needing wings to stay aloft in the air unlike Dragon who floated under his own will. He watched for a time curious as the creature circled him.

After sometime it flew away only to return with some others, two smaller, one larger. They seemed agitated by his presence in the area, perhaps they had a nest near by?

He didn't get much time to thing as they dive bombed him, Oni easily sidestepped letting their claws met nothing but open air. The creatures hissed spitting something at him, how clever the creatures had come up with their own language. Though he understood none of it. He held up his claws trying to show he was unarmed and backed away.

"I don't wish you harm, I shall leave." He spoke in what he hoped was a soothing tone, if anything the creatures got more agitated snarling and hissing clear threats at him.

It hurt seeing the hate in the eyes of these creatures that looked so much like Dragon.

Oni bowed his head and fled the creatures giving victorious roars at his leaving.

0o0o0o0o

Now these creatures. They where fascinating to him. Oni watched the tiny things from the shadows entraced by them, they looked like him, bipedal creatures with onxy black skin, claws on their forelimbs and mouths filled with razor sharp teeth.

Had Dragon made them in his image?

He wasn't sure if that was flattering or insulting.

Still the little things fascinated him, they where clever little things cutting down trees and using them to create artificial caves for them to live in, covering themselves with the fur of animals they had to kill for sustenance and a material they made with plant fibres.

He had a feeling these new beings where his favourite. He just couldn't stop watching them as their little community worked together to survive, and he was content doing so.

Until the lesser dragons attacked.

They came like lightning bolts out of the sky swooping down, one crushed a shelter under it's bulk and another circling flames spewing from it's jaws creating a ring of fire that the little creatures couldn't escape.

Oni dithered, he did his best not to interfere with the life cycle the creatures of the realm had settled into.

He watched as the lesser dragons laughed at the terror of the small creatures one of them scooping up a small offsping of the creatures throwing it to another. They played with it throwing the child from one to another till it's screams of terror stopped. Then the tossed it aside looking for another.

This wasn't about food. About survival.

This was sport.

This was fun for them.

He couldn't stand by.

He strode through the flames the destructive element barely even warming his skin. The Tiny creatures screamed in renewed terror of their new tormentor the lesser dragons snarling looking confused.

Good.

He grasped the neck of the lesser dragon that had picked up the child. It's heart stopped the moment his claws touched it's scales. He stared into the eyes of the largest of the lesser dragons as the body decomposed in his grip a snarl on Oni's lips.

He dropped the decaying body and pointed in the direction he last remembered seeing the lesser dragons.

"Leave." He spat. The lesser dragons shuffled closer together snarling and muttering to each other a challenge in their eyes, but also fear.

If they would not leave he would give them a reason to fear him.

With a lightning fast slash he lightly scraped his claws against the armored scales of another lesser dragon, it dropped dead. He looked the largest dragon in the eyes again.

"Leave." He repeated, cowed the lesser dragons finally took to the wing again, though Oni could see the seething hate in their eyes. He had a feeling they would return.

Silence ruled the small community before a quiet cheer that rapidly grew in volume went up from the creatures hugging each other and celebrating that the lesser dragons had been repelled.

Oni watched them with a small smile glad to have saved the tiny creatures. He startled as they approached him reaching out, he backed away shaking his head.

"No, it is dangerous little ones." He sighed softly. He moved and let the branches of a tree brush against his leg, the tree began to decay. Fearfully the creatures drew back understanding.

Yes he had saved them, but to touch him was to bring death.

The gathering began to dissipate, some going to the ruined shelter to see what could be saved, others going to the second dead lesser dragon, while it had been killed he hadn't touched it long enough for the body to start to decay, by the sounds of excitement in the creatures voices they where looking forward to the feast they would have from it's flesh.

A small creature stayed staring up at him, it was young with wild long hair and one of it's tusk like teeth was broken. The creature seeing him staring back grinned showing off the gap in it's teeth and pointed at it's self saying something.

It had a name?

Oni cocked his head kneeing so as to hear it better. It backed up and repeated pointing at it's self and saying something. It took a few tries before Oni could get his fangs around the word, his first in their language.

"Kiaru." He repeated pointing at the creature. The creature grinned and pointed at him cocking it's head questioningly. He smiled and pointed at his self "Oni."

Kiaru got his name down faster then he had their's grinning and turning to the group pointing at him yelling something. The only word he understood was "Oni" but his heart warmed as the creatures cheered happy even in the aftermath of the lesser dragons attack.

He probably should be moving on, there had to be more to see in this realm, maybe more creatures like these who had captured his heart. But as he watched them carefully take the body of the little one who had died coming together to grieve for the life as a community he knew he couldn't. He wanted to stay with these little creatures, and it was likely that the lesser dragons could return seeing revenge for two of their own.

He would stay, for as long as the little creatures would have him. He would stay.


End file.
